Research on reconfigurable kinematic analysis and type synthesis of planar prismatic Rubik's cube mechanism

Abstract. A planar prismatic Rubik's cube mechanism (PPRCM) is defined as a Rubik's-cube-inspired mechanism whose rigid components are constrained to pure planar movements. Taking a typical PPRCM prototype as the research carrier, this paper elaborates on the composition, topological configuration, and reconfigurable motion process of the mechanism. The influencing factors of PPRCM's topological structure are abstracted, and the conditions for realizing reconfigurable motion are thereby derived. Based on the reconfigurable topological characteristics of PPRCM, a type synthesis method for the mechanism is proposed. By specifying the values of the topological influencing factors, PPRCMs with different topological structures are generated, and corresponding three-dimensional(3D) models are constructed to validate the rationality and effectiveness of the proposed method. The type synthesis method for PPRCM proposed in this paper not only enables the development of more novel PPRCM configurations but also enriches and improves the type synthesis theories for planar mechanisms.